o
run any hazard whatsoever on that account.

12. Now while Ananus was choosing out his men, and putting those that
were proper for his purpose in array for fighting, the zealots got
information of his undertaking, [for there were some who went to them,
and told them all that the people were doing,] and were irritated at
it, and leaping out of the temple in crowds, and by parties, spared none
whom they met with. Upon this Ananus got the populace together on the
sudden, who were more numerous indeed than the zealots, but inferior
to them in arms, because they had not been regularly put into array for
fighting; but the alacrity that every body showed supplied all their
defects on both sides, the citizens taking up so great a passion as was
stronger than arms, and deriving a degree of courage from the temple
more forcible than any multitude whatsoever; and indeed these citizens
thought it was not possible for them to dwell in the city, unless they
could cut off the robbers that were in it. The zealots also thought that
unless they prevailed, there would be no punishment so bad but it
would be inflicted on them. So their conflicts were conducted by their
passions; and at the first they only cast stones at each other in the
city, and before the temple, and threw their javelins at a distance; but
when either of them were too hard for the other, they made use of their
swords; and great slaughter was made on both sides, and a great number
were wounded. As for the dead bodies of the people, their relations
carried them out to their own houses; but when any of the zealots were
wounded, he went up into the temple, and defiled that sacred floor
with his blood, insomuch that one may say it was their blood alone
that polluted our sanctuary. Now in these conflicts the robbers always
sallied out of the temple, and were too hard for their enemies; but
the populace grew very angry, and became more and more numerous, and
reproached those that gave back, and those behind would not afford room
to those that were going off, but forced them on again, till at length
they made their whole body to turn against their adversaries, and the
robbers could no longer oppose them, but were forced gradually to retire
into the temple; when Ananus and his party fell into it at the same time
together with them. [7] This horribly affrighted the robbers, because
it deprived them of the first court; so they fled into the inner court
immediately, and shut the g